1. FOODBORNE ILLNESS OUTBREAK SIMULATION WORKSHOP

2. Introductions

3. Expectations
Everyone will be working together in their respective groups
Each group will have different issues to address and deal with
Overall the goal is for the group to work together through a crisis situation

4. You will be working together and role playing
Groups:
Producers
Commodity Associations and Organizations
Other participants:
Media
Regulators

5. PRODUCERS

6. Producer group 1: Tarheel Acres Growers
Conventional and organic farm in the Piedmont with a large packing facility
Pack for neighboring farms and repack imports
Large grocery store chain
Peppers, leafy greens, strawberries, melons
Greens packaged under several names
Molly’s World, Pack It Out Produce, and Organic Medley

7. Producer group 2: Plott Hound Creek Farms
Conventional production small-ish farmer in Newton Grove
Mainly wholesale, Raleigh Farmers’ market
Leafy greens, peppers, and melons
Greens packaged under several names
Molly’s World, Pack It Out Produce, and The Farmer’s Way

8. Producer group 3: Rising Sun Farms
Conventional medium size farm in Goldsboro
Direct market foodservice, wholesale and direct- to-store
Leafy greens, peppers, strawberries, sweet corn
Dairy farm adjacent to field
Greens packaged under several names
Polly’s Produce and Pack It Out Produce

9. COMMODITY ASSOCIATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS
NC Vegetable Growers Association
Leafy Greens Council
United Fresh Produce Assocaition
NC Greenhouse Vegetable Growers Association

10. Media -- Our journalistic team
News and Observer
Charlotte Observer
CNN
Perez Hilton
Late night television
WRAL
Twitter
Yahoo News

11. AUGUST 15, 2011 – PRESS RELEASE
NC Department of Health says “There are an increased number of illnesses which are linked together with a genetic fingerprint”
Escherichia coli O157:H7
20 illnesses in NC
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been dispatched

12. August 17, 2011 -- More information trickles out
The fingerprint from NC and VA are an identical match linking the outbreaks
VA Department of Health says “thinks it is associated with prepackaged leafy greens mix bags”
Isolated strain from opened bad
Sporadic cases in TN and SC
National conference call

13. AUGUST 19, 2011 E. COLI O157:H7 -- VA HEALTH DEPARTMENT CONFIRMS IT’S BAGGED SALAD FROM PACK IT OUT PRODUCE
Isolated strain from unopened bag
What do you do?
Who do you call?
What kind of things do you do to assess your system?
What do you release to the media?

14. August 20, 2011 -- Press conference
Announced that it is leafy greens-linked
Mike Taylor, FDA food safety czar
"It is always an upset to the industry when we have to put consumer advice out like this, but we don't know which leafy greens are causing the illnesses; and we don't want to wait until we find out and then learn that people were getting sick.”

15. What else happens? Media attention Increased testing of leafy greens
Blogs, Twitter, Youtube
Increased testing of leafy greens
Buyer questions???
Local demand?
Leafy greens sales decrease

16. Damage Control Plott Hound Creek Farms Tarheel Acres Growers
Increase in traffic on farm
Consumers talking about how the outbreak scares them from purchasing at large stores
Tarheel Acres Growers
Contact neighboring farms to confirm they are using good agricultural practices
Increase in demand for leafy greens at Farmer’s market
Lots of discussion from customers

17. Industry investigations -- Looking for the source
Discuss your distribution chain
How do you prove it is not your farm?
Documentation?
Where has your product gone?
Traceability?

18. August 23, 2011 -- Outbreak has been traced to Rising Sun Farms

19. CLASS I RECALL
Class I is a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of, or exposure to, a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death 19 19

20. August 23, 2011 -- Recall How do you get the product back?
Where did it go?
What documentation do you need?
Other groups roles in this?

21. NCDA and FDA, conducting the investigation, asks for:
Flow charts
Lab reports
HACCP/SSOP records
Production records
Distribution records

22. ON-FARM INVESTIGATION
Where they might start looking on-farm and in the facility
Water
Worker health and hygiene
Wildlife
Well water

23. AUGUST 25, 2011 -- MORE INFO ABOUT THE IMPLICATED SITE ARISES…
Dairy farm uphill from produce fields
Implicated product went to other dealers
Wildlife tracks

24. Observations Cattle pastures enclosed by fences
Have free access to waterways at various points upstream
Grazing area located at higher elevations with production fields located below in the valley
Seasonal and year-round creeks flow through the cattle pastures

25. Wildlife investigation
Evidence of wild pigs around irrigation wells
Physical presence of wild pigs in and around leafy greens fields
Wildlife tracks (primarily pig, but also some deer, raccoon, coyote, rodent, rabbit, and bird) and evidence of penetration of fences was observed
Reported damage to crops caused by pigs during thinning and harvesting of crops
Wild pig fecal material and rooting observed in adjacent fields

26. FALL 2011 -- Recovery Outbreak is over What’s next? Who is affected?
What needs to be done to get things back on track?

27. SO WHAT DOES THIS ALL MEAN?
Be prepared for outbreaks
Have a plan to manage them
Be available
Monitor what people are saying about industry/products
Use non-print methods
Take control of the story

28. PFGE

29. Outbreak curve